San Carlo al Lazzaretto is a small

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

style octagonal church now in largo Bellintani Fra Paolo, number 1 in the quartiere Porta Venezia of Milan. It is located about three blocks northwest of the

Porta Venezia Porta Venezia (formerly known as Porta Orientale, Porta Renza and by other names) is one of the historical gates of the city of Milan, Italy. In its present form, the gate dates back to the 19th century; nevertheless, its origins can be traced bac ...

. Its present situation, amidst crowded 19th and 20th century apartment blocks, has little relationship to its original placement, in the central park of a massive rectangular cloister-like 15th-century leprosarium (

Lazaretto A lazaretto or lazaret (from it, lazzaretto a diminutive form of the Italian word for beggar cf. lazzaro) is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings ...

). The church, once called ''Tempietto di Santa Maria della Sanità'' or ''San Carlino'', escaped the late-nineteenth century demolition of the Lazzaretto.

History

The Lazzaretto of Milan was a quadrangle with 400 yard long sides, designed by Lazzaro Palazzi in the late 15th century. It was located outside the city walls and Porta Orientale. In the center an altar had been placed in the open ground. After the Lazzaretto was used for housing the ill during the plague epidemic of 1576, the archbishop

Carlo Borromeo Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat ...

commissioned a new church from

Pellegrino Tibaldi Pellegrino Tibaldi (Valsolda, 1527–Milan, 1596), also known as Pellegrino di Tibaldo de Pellegrini, was an Italian mannerism, mannerist architect, sculpture, sculptor, and mural Painting, painter. Biography Tibaldi was born in Puria di Valsol ...

. Construction from 1558 to 1592, erected this centralized church with open circumferential arches which allowed the ill to see services from all corners of the surrounding porticos. After the French occupation of the Duchy, the lazzaretto was used as barracks. During the

Cisalpine Republic The Cisalpine Republic ( it, Repubblica Cisalpina) was a sister republic of France in Northern Italy that existed from 1797 to 1799, with a second version until 1802. Creation After the Battle of Lodi in May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte organized t ...

, the architect

Giuseppe Piermarini Giuseppe Piermarini (; 18 July 1734 – 18 February 1808) was an Italian architect who trained with Luigi Vanvitelli in Rome and designed the Teatro alla Scala in Milan (1776–78), which remains the work by which he is remembered. Indeed, "il ...

was commissioned to transform the church into a secular Temple of the Nation (''Tempio della Patria''). Piermarini Demolished the cupola, and walled the sides, but reconstruction soon ceased. During the 19th century, the central fields of the Lazzaretto were used for agriculture, and the surrounding cloister was used by peasants. In the late 19th century, the Lazaretto buildings were nearly entirely demolished, and the church was reconsecrated by 1884, with a new dome and an added facade portico. The church is the backdrop for a scene at the end of the Manzoni novel ''

I Promessi Sposi ''The Betrothed'' ( it, I promessi sposi ) is an Italian Historical romance, historical novel by Alessandro Manzoni, first published in 1827 in literature, 1827, in three Volume (bibliography), volumes, and significantly revised and rewritten un ...

''.Il Giorno
November 2012 article about needed reconstruction. Because of the vibrations produced by the underground train under viale Tunisia which have damaged the dome the church has been subject to studies to reinforce its structure. After a failed fund raising for restoration among the public the church has been completely restored by Rocca Foundation in memory of Roberto Rocca. The goal was to use the church both for religious activities and as a concert hall. For this goal the rooms added at the end of 1800 for the sacristy and the priest house on the northern side have been transformed to host concert players. The altar has been moved towards the wall to have more space for concerts. Work begun in September 2015 was completed in June 2017. The architectural design was by Studio 02 Arch, the static consolidation has been followed by Studio Associato Brambilla Ferrari and restoration was undertaken by Naos Restauri. A new organ has been installed with 1800 pipes, designed by Martino Lurani Cernuschi with a romantic-symphonic approach. The church was inaugurated by Milan archbishop

Mario Delpini Mario Enrico Delpini (born 29 July 1951) is an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as the Archbishop of Milan since his installation on 9 September 2017. He previously served as auxiliary bishop and vicar general of ...

on 3 November 2017 at 8.30 pm. The church is open every day from 9 to 12 am, masses are organized Wednesday and Friday at 10 am. The municipality has completed in 2016 a project to reserve to pedestrians Largo Bellintani around the church. The project is from arch. Loredana Brambilla of Milan Municipality.

Notes

Bibliography

* Maria Teresa Fiorio, ''Le chiese di Milano'', Milano: Electa, 2006 * G. Santi, ''Restauri nelle chiese della Diocesi di Milano'', in "Terra Ambrosiana", n°5, pp. 33–49 {{DEFAULTSORT:Carlo all Lazaretto, Milan

Gallery

Image:facciata di san Carlino al Lazzaretto.jpg, Facade towards via Lecco Image:Facciata di san Carlino al Lazzaretto verso largo Bellintani.jpg, Facade towards largo Bellintani Image:Cupola di San Carlino al Lazzaretto.jpg, Dome

External links

Inside of the church on October 17, 2017 after the restoration
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1592 Roman Catholic churches in Milan 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Renaissance architecture in Milan Quarantine facilities in Italy Centralized-plan churches in Italy